Bengkalis school buildings rotting

PEKANBARU, Riau: At least 500 elementary school buildings, out of 877 in the Bengkalis district, are deemed to be in an inadequate condition to conduct classes, a local education official said.

"There are 877 state-owned and private elementary school buildings in the region. Some 500 of them are dilapidated," M. Hanafiah said here yesterday.

He said the buildings have not been rehabilitated since their construction in the 1970s and even classroom chairs can no longer be used.

Some schools do not have a roof, while the wooden walls and floors of others are rotten. Some buildings have collapsed in the middle of class, he added.

The quality of local structures is further eroded by the saltwater characteristics of the city, he said.

"It is terrible, and the authorities are having difficulty because Bengkalis is isolated," he said as quoted by Antara. (mds)